Qatar 2022: A Hardship Fund for Deceased Workers' Families?

Thousands of workers are thought to have lost their lives during the construction of stadiums and other infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Despite the dire situation, the emirate has refused to assume financial responsibility for their relatives. In an interview with French news agency AFP, Qatar's labour minister Ali bin Samikh Al Marri said of the hardship fund previously proposed by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch: "This call for a duplicative FIFA-led compensation campaign is a publicity stunt".

Support for migrant workers, however, could also come from other sources, such as FIFA itself or the tournament sponsors. According to a recent publication from the Statista Global Consumer Survey, 64 percent of respondents in England would support the establishment of such a hardship fund by the sport's international governing body. With regard to the sponsors the approval is somewhat lower. Nevertheless, over half of the survey participants support a financial commitment for the benefit of workers' families.